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A review by gen_wolfhailstorm
Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Buddy read with Sharron Joy Reading! ^^
Reading vlog:
Emery Blackwood’s life changed forever the night her best friend, Lily, was found dead and the love of her life, August Salt, was accused of murdering her. Years later, she is doing what her teenage self swore she never would: living a quiet existence on the misty, remote shores of Saoirse Island and running the family’s business, Blackwood’s Tea Shoppe Herbal Tonics & Tea Leaf Readings.
This was a beautifully written novel.
The way Young builds and develops atmosphere and mood for her scenes were elegantly done and added that eery touch the island possessed - the island feeling like its own character in its own right - which developed well along side the mystery aspect of the plot.
The short chapters helped me get immersed, especially as this was a slower paced story. I found myself just wanting to read one more page each time I needed to put the book down.
Saoirse's land is steeped in this gentle (not so gentle, depending on the character) pagan magic, which is what drives tourist's to the island... and the infamous orchard that seems to have so much power and pull. The inhabitants had this cult like mentality, which at the root of it was about family, grief and how far you would go for the ones you'd love.... and what you consider is owed to you.
I loved the multiple perspectives. It mainly was from August and Emery's pov, but, every now and then we would get a little view point from someone else which helped to build more depth to the direction of the plot, without being too overwhelming by keeping track of so many characters.
I thought the connection between Emery and August was powerful from the page. You could feel the destiny seeping from the novel. I didn't, however, see the connection of how August and Emery felt like the closest thing to children to Jake because I didn't see the depth of their relationships on the page, so that lacked in believability for me... But I think that also is fueled from Jake being my least favourite character and feeling unpredictable.
Side note;
I've counted variations of "let out the breath I was holding" about 3 x in 111 pages... and at least another 1 time near the end... I should have turned it into a drink when they say this game. It wasn't unbearable and I've definitely read it way over used elsewhere, but I did find that this classic one liner kept dragging me back to the YA mentality, when this was marketed as adult (I would say more new adult, personally, despite an older cast of characters).
I loved the back and fourth timeline. It was done so well and was a fantastic tool in fleshing out the plot and slowly edging towards the reveal to the question of who killed Lily... and then some.
Reading vlog:
Emery Blackwood’s life changed forever the night her best friend, Lily, was found dead and the love of her life, August Salt, was accused of murdering her. Years later, she is doing what her teenage self swore she never would: living a quiet existence on the misty, remote shores of Saoirse Island and running the family’s business, Blackwood’s Tea Shoppe Herbal Tonics & Tea Leaf Readings.
This was a beautifully written novel.
The way Young builds and develops atmosphere and mood for her scenes were elegantly done and added that eery touch the island possessed - the island feeling like its own character in its own right - which developed well along side the mystery aspect of the plot.
The short chapters helped me get immersed, especially as this was a slower paced story. I found myself just wanting to read one more page each time I needed to put the book down.
Saoirse's land is steeped in this gentle (not so gentle, depending on the character) pagan magic, which is what drives tourist's to the island... and the infamous orchard that seems to have so much power and pull. The inhabitants had this cult like mentality, which at the root of it was about family, grief and how far you would go for the ones you'd love.... and what you consider is owed to you.
I loved the multiple perspectives. It mainly was from August and Emery's pov, but, every now and then we would get a little view point from someone else which helped to build more depth to the direction of the plot, without being too overwhelming by keeping track of so many characters.
I thought the connection between Emery and August was powerful from the page. You could feel the destiny seeping from the novel. I didn't, however, see the connection of how August and Emery felt like the closest thing to children to Jake because I didn't see the depth of their relationships on the page, so that lacked in believability for me... But I think that also is fueled from Jake being my least favourite character and feeling unpredictable.
Side note;
I've counted variations of "let out the breath I was holding" about 3 x in 111 pages... and at least another 1 time near the end... I should have turned it into a drink when they say this game. It wasn't unbearable and I've definitely read it way over used elsewhere, but I did find that this classic one liner kept dragging me back to the YA mentality, when this was marketed as adult (I would say more new adult, personally, despite an older cast of characters).
I loved the back and fourth timeline. It was done so well and was a fantastic tool in fleshing out the plot and slowly edging towards the reveal to the question of who killed Lily... and then some.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Terminal illness